ATP Tour: De Minaur, Rublev Storm Into Second Round Of Rotterdam Open

ATP Tour: De Minaur, Rublev storm into second round of Rotterdam Open (Image Source: IANS)

ATP Rotterdam Open: Alex de Minaur stormed into the second round of the ATP Rotterdam Open on Tuesday. The Australian third seed delivered a clinical performance to dispatch Belgium’s David Goffin 6-2, 6-4, extending his unbeaten record against the former World No. 7 to 6-0 in their ATP head-to-head battles.

Last year’s Rotterdam finalist, De Minaur looked in imperious form, covering every inch of the court with his trademark speed and turning defensive rallies into aggressive counterpunches. He outhit Goffin with 24 winners to 13 and converted his fourth break point in a tense second set to seal the victory in 96 minutes.

Despite his dominant display, De Minaur admitted the slow conditions in Rotterdam took some adjusting to. "It felt slow out here, quite tough to get used to the conditions," he said after the match. "The ball got massive… It's a very rough surface. I’m happy with my attitude today, I did exactly what I needed to do. David is a hell of a competitor, so I knew it was going to be a hell of a battle.”

The win marks another impressive milestone for De Minaur, who now boasts 10 ATP 500 victories in Rotterdam and has 30 ATP 500 wins since the start of 2023, trailing only Jannik Sinner (32) in that period. The World No. 8 is enjoying an excellent start to 2025, having reached his maiden Australian Open quarterfinal last month and now improving his season record to 8-1.

A key area of improvement for De Minaur has been his increased power, particularly on serve. "I have definitely improved the power side of things. I’ve gained maybe 5 or 10 km/h on my serve, and it helped me out in big points," he said. "I managed to find some big serves when I needed, and it’s all about keeping that first-serve percentage quite high.”

His confidence and work ethic remain as strong as ever."The expectations I have on myself will always surpass the outside noise. I expect a lot out of myself, I want to keep on pushing. It’s a long year, but it’s all about staying tough."

De Minaur’s quest for a second consecutive Rotterdam final will next see him face Jakub Mensik, who impressed with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alexander Bublik.

Mensik, just 19 years old, was clinical on serve, winning 88% (29/33) of first-serve points, as he avenged his previous loss to Bublik in their only prior encounter.

Meanwhile, fourth seed Andrey Rublev also made a strong start to his Rotterdam campaign, defeating Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The 2021 champion was ruthless from the baseline, breaking Zhang six times while saving the only break point he faced.

Mensik, just 19 years old, was clinical on serve, winning 88% (29/33) of first-serve points, as he avenged his previous loss to Bublik in their only prior encounter.

Article Source: IANS